"This is cloth?" Tarantulas accepts the two sheets and studies them carefully. He tears off a tiny corner of each sheet, worries the torn edge with his fingertips, and even smells it, just in case that turns out to be useful data in the future. "Interesting."

He does not have time to become an expert on papermaking, he reminds himself wistfully. At least not right now. He has to budget his time carefully, at least until they've either destroyed or driven off the demons that make life on this island so hazardous.

"But which type is more useful?" he wonders out loud, and refocuses his attention on Gerry. "To be more precise, which type of paper is less liable to smear when written on with pencil or ink? I keep very precise notes, and I don't care to have my research compromised by something so pedestrian as smudging."